The present invention relates generally to wireless communications devices, and particularly to wireless communications devices having voice-to-text capabilities.
Wireless communications devices are typically equipped to provide a user with a wide array of communication services. Perhaps two of the most popular services are voice communications and text messaging. With these services, a sending party's wireless communications device modulates information (i.e., either the user's voice or an alphanumeric message) onto a carrier signal for transmission to a remote party. Upon receipt, the remote party's device either renders the sender's voice as audible sound, or sends the alphanumeric message to a display. In either case, two parties may communicate with each other with ease and relative reliability.
However, there are scenarios where the use of these services are problematic. For example, a receiving party may have a difficult time hearing a sending party's voice in a noisy environment, or may be in a setting that is not particularly conducive to voice communications (e.g., in church or at a meeting). In these cases, text messaging provides the receiving party at least some relief as it does not require the use of a speaker. Entering long messages, however, is cumbersome. Therefore, a sending party may not be inclined to use text messaging for anything other than very short messages (e.g., “Call me later”). In such scenarios, important communications may be delayed until the receiving party can establish a voice connection in a quieter environment. What is needed is a system and method that allows a receiving party to adapt his wireless communications device to operate in such environments without requiring the sending party to manually enter long alphanumeric messages.